City looks to replace snow removal equipment

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The City of Sudbury's infrastructure department is looking to buy three new multi-function snowplows for next winter.

There are 79 road and sidewalk snowplowing routes in Greater Sudbury, maintained by both city staff and contractors.

Sudbury gets less snow

Despite what may have felt like an unusually long winter, Environment Canada says Sudbury was almost right on par with seasonal averages.

Sudbury had received more than 240 centimetres of snow, which is lower than the average of 251 centimetres.

Environment Canada spokesperson Isabel Ruddick said what may have made the 2013 seem more harsh was the unseasonably moderate conditions of last winter.

Sudbury winters are harsh on equipment, and it often needs to be maintained and replaced, said Tony Cecutti is the manager of infrastructure with the city.

"The blade of a plow can run up against a manhole lid that the frost has grabbed and lifted out of the ground," he said.

"And they spend a lot of hours on the road and it's a high-salt environment and extreme weather conditions [that are] very cold, so after a few kilometres you have to do some maintenance on the vehicle."

Cecutti says the department of infrastructure does annual purchases of new winter equipment.